Laura Werlin is the James Beard award-winning cookbook author of The All American Cheese and Wine Book. Her sixth book, Mac & Cheese, Please!, will be released December 4. You can find her on Twitter as @cheezelady if that tells you anything about her fervor for fromage.

1. Return of the Mac
Nearly everyone has a childhood memory of macaroni and cheese. The dish is a perennial favorite regardless of age, and is definitely the ultimate comfort food for winter.

I personally like the sweetness that onions add but, if you prefer, you can simply leave them out of this classic recipe. The dish will likely make it into your regular repertoire either way! Once you have a classic recipe, the possibilities are endless for what you can add in - bacon or arugula anyone?

Fill a 4- to 5-quart pot about three-quarters full with water and add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Cook, stirring once or twice, until tender but firm, about 4 minutes. Drain, and reserve the pot.

While the pasta is cooking, in a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Turn off the heat and add the breadcrumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until mixed well. Set aside.

Using the same pot you used to cook the pasta, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the flour and stir constantly until the onion is coated with the flour, 30 to 45 seconds. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes more, or until the mixture starts to darken slightly and smell a bit nutty.

Slowly whisk in the milk, cream and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and cook until the mixture is just beginning to thicken and bubble around the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes. It should be similar in texture to cake batter. If it's soupy, continue cooking until it thickens. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar, the Gruyère, mustard powder, cayenne and nutmeg and stir until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is smooth but not too runny. Again, it should be similar in texture to cake batter. If it's soupy, continue cooking, stirring constantly, until it thickens.

Add the pasta and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar and top with the breadcrumb mixture.

Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until bubbling and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

2. I'm melting!
Because mac & cheese is all about melted goodness, it’s essential to use cheeses that submit to their full glory when exposed to heat. In other words, USE GOOD MELTERS.

For some of the best melting cheeses, head for the hills - preferably the Swiss Alps! It's there where you'll find the unparalleled Gruyère (one of the best-tasting melting cheeses in the world), Emmentaler (the original "Swiss" cheese) and Appenzeller, among others. Hop over those hills into France's Jura region and grab some Comté for an equally memorable melting cheese experience.

And from the rolling hills of Wisconsin, Pleasant Ridge Reserve and just about any Wisconsin cheddar will make any mac & cheese sing, as will the cheeses from the farms and forests in Vermont all the way to the seaside farms in California, Oregon and Washington. So, now that you know the fundamentals, it’s time to put them into practice.

3. Thanksgiving mac attack
Ravioli with butternut squash, brown butter and sage has become a classic fall pasta combination in many upscale restaurants. Why not take it down-home and fold that delectable flavor combination into mac & cheese? This recipe is a true winner and a dish that your friends and family will love you for, whether you serve it at Thanksgiving dinner or even in spring or summer.

Fill a 4- to 5-quart pot about three-quarters full with water and add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Cook, stirring once or twice, until tender but firm, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain, and reserve the pot.

In a medium skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Turn off the heat and add the breadcrumbs and 1 cup of the pecorino. Stir to combine. Transfer to a small bowl and wipe out but do not wash the skillet.

Line a small plate with paper towels. Using the same skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat and cook just until it's starting to brown. Add the whole sage leaves and cook until the leaves are crisp and just beginning to darken, about 45 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat. Using tongs, transfer the leaves to the paper towel-lined plate and reserve both the leaves and the butter.

Using the same pot you used to cook the pasta, combine the squash, milk, cream, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the reserved sage butter. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and watching to make sure the cream mixture does not boil. Simmer the squash until it is very soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly. Place about half of the mixture in a blender or food processor and purée. Put the purée back into the pot and repeat with the remaining squash.

Add the Gruyère, the remaining pecorino, the chopped sage, and the cayenne to the puréed squash mixture and stir until the cheese has melted (the heat of the squash mixture should melt it). Add the pasta and stir to combine.

Pour into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture, and place the fried sage leaves in a decorative pattern on top. Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until the mixture is brown and bubbly. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

4. Light(er) mac & cheese
So, you want to make a mac & cheese that’s good for the taste buds and the waistline? Obviously mac & cheese isn’t inherently a healthy dish, but there are tricks for adding some more nutritional value and cutting calories.

First off, you can use reduced fat or low-fat cheeses. If you’re using such a cheese, it’s important to cook the mixture slowly since low-fat and reduced fat cheeses (like a skim milk cheese) clump up more easily. You may need to add a few extra teaspoons of flour if your cheese starts to clump.

Second, you can swap regular pasta for whole grain pasta to add some fiber. And third, try adding in some color! Throw in a bunch of arugula, herbed zucchini or tomatoes roasted with garlic to get some more antioxidants.

5. How to nurse a tryptophan hangover
To me, the ultimate diner breakfast isn’t the eggs you find there, it’s the potatoes - especially when they’re in the form of home fries. In this mac & cheese, those home-fried potatoes get their just due by acting as the crowning glory on the creamy, cheesy pasta underneath. And of course, because this IS a mac & cheese, there's also melted cheese on top of those potatoes too. I don’t have to wonder what Dr. Atkins would have said about a potato-on-pasta dish, but this is one splurge worth its weight in carbs.

Breakfast Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients

1 Tbsp, plus 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed

8 oz small or medium shell pasta

1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp olive oil

1 pound small red potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (do not peel)

Freshly ground pepper

1 small onion (about 4 oz), cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 medium green bell pepper (about 8 oz), cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 medium red bell pepper (about 8 oz), cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole or reduced-fat milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

12 oz cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (3 1/2 cups)

2 tsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp dry mustard powder

Ketchup, for serving (optional)

Cooking Directions

Position an oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler and preheat to broil. Butter an 8-inch square (1 1/2-quart) metal pan or six 8-ounce ramekins. Set aside. (Note: Do not use a glass pan or a ceramic dish for this recipe. It can break when set under the broiler.)

Fill a 4- to 5-quart pot about three-quarters full with water and add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Cook, stirring once or twice, until tender but firm, 4 to 6 minutes for small shells, 8 to 10 minutes for medium shells. Drain, and reserve the pot.

In a large skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of the oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the edges are darkened and the potatoes are crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Using a slotted spatula or spoon, transfer the potatoes to a plate.

Using the same skillet, cook the onion and bell peppers, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelize (darken) around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the oregano and salt and black pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Using the same pot you used to cook the pasta, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the flour and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir constantly until a paste forms, 30 to 45 seconds.

Continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the mixture starts to darken slightly and smell a bit nutty. Slowly whisk in the milk and cream and stir until the mixture starts to thicken and is just beginning to bubble around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Add 3 cups of the cheese, the hot sauce and mustard powder and stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth but not too runny. It should be similar in texture to cake batter. If it's soupy, continue cooking until it thickens. Turn off the heat and add the pasta and peppers. Stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish. Pile the potatoes on top of the casserole and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the potatoes.

Put the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and place under the broiler. Cook until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown and the potatoes that are peeking out begin to darken, 2 to 3 minutes. Watch carefully, because the cheese and potatoes can burn easily. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Pass extra hot sauce and/or ketchup, if desired, alongside.

Agree with our cheese guru's tips, or do you have another suggestion? Share in the comments below.

Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down.

soundoff(71 Responses)

I did a copycat mac 'n cheese similar to LongHorn Steakhouse's Steakhouse Mac.

I was kinda drunk when I made it, but I did a white gravy/béchamel sauce and added parmesan, fontina, gruyere, and something else... White cheddar or mozzarella... I can't remember.. But bubbled it up to a creamy sauce, fried and crumbled up some bacon, boiled cavatappi noodles, then tossed it altogether and ladled it into individual oven-proof ramekins , tossed some panko breading with grated parmesan and a bit of melted butter and sprinkled it on top...

Bake at like 350 until the top gets golden... So yummy.

(Sorry... I don't measure anything!)

November 21, 2013 at 7:25 pm |

sarahfudge45

great post #macandcheesestrong!!

November 21, 2013 at 7:10 pm |

KSLF

the butternut squash mac and cheese recipe is not quite right, or even close to right, FYI. the amount of bread crumb mixture was more than twice as much as could fit on the mac and cheese, and i ended up with an extra cup of cheese sauce, too–the dish was overflowing and i had to scoop it out. also, it lacked salt (or any flavor, really!) and i couldn't taste the butternut squash at all, despite putting in more than the recipe calls for. so this wasn't exactly a thanksgiving success, unfortunately.

November 23, 2012 at 3:26 pm |

Kummin

I went and bought the cheese ingredients, then went and bought a lottery ticket. It's the only way I'm going to be able to pay for the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, aged cheddar cheese, and Gruyère cheese. Ounce for ounce this is one EXPENSIVE mac'n'cheese. I told the people whose place I'm taking it to that they better damn well appreciate it! (Not really, but the thought did occur!)

November 17, 2012 at 5:59 pm |

NS

Agree. My mom and I both make this and we call it $50 mac-n-cheese.

November 17, 2012 at 6:40 pm |

B.A.C

Throughout history I don't remember there being an actual list of foods that you are and arent supposed to eat for thanksgiving.One word "AMERICA"-MEANING HUGE MELTING POT. I am from the south where without Mac N' Cheese whats thanksgiving dinner.

November 17, 2012 at 4:37 pm |

ohioan

a family friend who comes to our Thanksgiving every year always brings homemade Mac n cheese. I love the crunchy corner bits the best!

November 19, 2012 at 11:40 am |

Cara

Smoked Gouda.. makes the best Mac and cheese ever.

November 17, 2012 at 1:33 pm |

Kemi Le

True!

November 17, 2012 at 11:17 pm |

The_Mick

I've found that Brie makes a great cheese sauce – I like it more than cheddar. And cheese sauce over veggies like Cauliflower or Broccoli is both tasy and healthier than over pasta. Each Thanksgiving, as the extended family gets together at my brother's home, two of the dishes I'm expected to bring is "Polish Kielbasa and Sauerkraut (add applesauce to kick-it up a notch) and "English Cauliflower Cheese" I found the Cauliflower Cheese recipe here several years ago and have been told I HAVE to make it for other occasions: http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-english-cheddar-cauliflower-cheese-gratin-216237 I'm using brie where is calls for cheddar and I cook freshly cut cauliflower, dumping it into boiling water for 7 minutes, cooling it a little by running cold water over it, putting it in a disposable lasagne pan, pouring the cheese sauce over it, and then when it's heated up in the over 350F, 20 min. at the site where it will be eaten, the cauliflower isn't mushy. Also, I see cayenne pepper in the article's recipe. To me that's a no-no for a large-group meal since many people don't like even a little bit of heat.

November 17, 2012 at 2:48 am |

KellyinCA

I find it best with the sharpest, most flavorful cheeses I can get my hands on – old, old Cheddar, Gouda or Edam; Parmigiano-Reggiano for a little extra bite. That way, if you're cutting back on the cheese or relying more on the white sauce for consistency, you've got your flavor in there still. I'd be _very_ interested in hearing about blue cheese's performance in this sort of thing. Though pricey, I suspect that Stilton would be a welcome switch-up.

November 16, 2012 at 7:59 pm |

Chef Connoisseur

Wisconsin cheese now in Naples, FL!

November 16, 2012 at 10:54 am |

Teresa

Mac n' Cheese made with Wisconsin cheese aged cheddars, provolone, and a creamy Havarti – a treat made for the Gods!

November 16, 2012 at 10:52 am |

nu2okc

Mac & cheese from the box..add 1 can cream of mushroom soup and mix it in.... now that is good and simple

November 16, 2012 at 9:53 am |

Lou Brown

You have got to be kidding me! YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

November 16, 2012 at 5:52 pm |

Snowbunny

Now, Now ~Opinions are like @ssholes, everybody has one.

November 5, 2013 at 12:04 pm |

Kummin

ga-ROSS!

November 17, 2012 at 6:01 pm |

Snowbunny

Sounds close to a tuna casserole....

November 5, 2013 at 12:03 pm |

cmorcat

The best place to get stuff for your M&C? At your local grocery store check for where they put the 'ends' from the ham and cheese blocks in the deli. Our store puts them in a case across from the deli counter. The sharp cheddar ends with a little provolone shredded in are the best.

November 16, 2012 at 9:08 am |

Sheila

My mac n cheese has dry mustard, nutmeg and worcestershire sauce. Mix the noodles, spices and lots of cheese together, then pour the milk (mixed with 2 eggs) over in a baking dish, and cover with buttered bread crumbs. Bake. It makes a firmer custard type mac and cheese. May not be what many people grew up with, but it certainly is what everyone at church asks for for suppers and dinners for the sick. Yum.

Ewww! That recipe is why I stay with what's in the Kraft box. However, I add plenty of grated, extra-sharp cheddar. Kraft never packs enough cheese.

November 16, 2012 at 7:53 am |

die die

sad face for your upbringing.

November 16, 2012 at 8:15 pm |

super stud puppy

velveeta mac and cheese with a big squeeze of yellow mustard mixed in – awesome. they put it on their box as a suggestion years ago, now I do it almost every time...as Ned Flanders would say – scrum-diddly-umptious.

November 16, 2012 at 7:33 am |

Our House, In the Middle of our Street

Turkey, cranberry jelly, stuffing, sweet potatoes, something green that isn't snotty green beans and a choice of punkin or dutch apple pie afterwards. Turkey sandwiches later if dinner was early enough in the day. Not a morsel or mention of mac 'n' cheese anywhere.

November 16, 2012 at 7:03 am |

Sun

Absolutely, no mac and cheese on my family's table either. We do have mashed rutabegas, they are yellow. ;)

November 16, 2012 at 8:06 am |

waste of money thing

if you want to waste your money you will find a way

November 16, 2012 at 5:37 am |

Noobozaurusrex

Or, you could save your endothelial cells (you know, the ones that line your heart's arteries) some unnecessary overworking on "Turkey day" and make a vegan version. Animal proteins (meat, cheese, milk, dairy, eggs, etc) are not good in the average Western diet once it has exceeded 5% (refer to your google toolbar and search "The China Study" to find out more).

Either way, it is expected to have typical backlash about how "I'm gonna eat whatever I want and at least I'll die happy before I ever give in to a vegan lifestyle" and blah, blah, blah...I could care less about those close-minded douchebags that will die from cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or any other degenerative disease...I just feel I could at least offer some lucky comment reader a chance to live longer than your average douchebag :)

I haven never heard of the mac & cheese tradition on thanksgiving... I wish I never did, lol.

November 15, 2012 at 10:47 pm |

Arbaby

Or just fly to the Caribbean where it's done properly and you don't need a recipe, this is way too complicated :)

November 15, 2012 at 9:36 pm |

J1955

Oh I know what you mean...I had the best M&C ever in the Bahamas. I still think about it...

November 16, 2012 at 9:34 am |

Charlene

Seen mac &cheese in a upscale restaurant for 45 dollars must be a hipster thing.

November 15, 2012 at 9:27 pm |

AG

White people will never, ever, get mac and cheese. Rule one: simplicity. No 'exotic' cheeses (e.g., Parmesan), and only one cheese, e.g., cheddar. Rule two: NO breadcrumbs. (Why put breadcrumbs on pasta - a starch?! Also, breadcrumbs add NO flavor, but to Anglo-Saxons, that's not a problem; they can't taste anyway.) As for the other secrets, I'll keep them to myself. Now you know just enough to make something edible.

November 15, 2012 at 8:42 pm |

zp

I seriously red your comment and had to laugh. I thought the same thing when I was reading all the ingredients....why so complicated!

I'm with you!, people screw things up trying to one up, ..eggs?, Really? I've never used eggs except making pasta, what's the eggs for?

November 17, 2012 at 9:57 am |

Patricia

Oh AG I read your comment and thought what the heck.... there is no secret to awesome Mac-n-Cheese.... anybody can make it as long as they use enough cheese....don't even think about calling it Mac and Cheese if you can't add enough cheese to give it that cheesy taste!!!! It doesn't matter how you make it, if you don't have a strong cheese taste it aint f***k**g Mac-n-Cheese... End of discussion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

November 16, 2012 at 12:14 am |

Bnode

Hey AG you may not realize it but you just made a really racist comment.
Replace the words white people or Anglo Saxons with any other racial group and then see what you think.

November 16, 2012 at 9:26 am |

fyre

Breadcrumbs aren't for flavor, silly, they're for texture, since mac and cheese has none on its own. A crunchy panko top layer pairs perfectly with creamy mac and cheese! And this isn't an "Anglo" thing – in Asian countries a lot of "tasteless" foods (including quite a few veggies) are eaten exclusively for texture and/or paired with small amount of flavor providing sauce.

November 16, 2012 at 10:33 am |

lrigreboog

Was her head put in a vice???

Regardless, mac & cheese rocks. Haven't eaten it in years, but OMG YUMMMMMM

November 15, 2012 at 8:40 pm |

Beanie Mac

Bloody 'L! A whole bloom'n book about macaroni and cheese? That's Kraft. How many ways can one combine a pasta and cheese? Any Blue Cheese Mac? That's daft. The books mac and cheese burrito recipe is jolly good.

True, they are all basically NaCl. However, volume is *very* different between those types. If you use one-for-one, you could end up with something that tastes awful!.

Kosher has larger flakes, thus takes up more volume for the same seasoning. If recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of Table Salt, you'll need to use 2 teaspoons of Kosher Salt.

Personally I switched to Kosher years ago for that very reason – when following the recipes' measurements I actually cut my sodium intake. Only exceptions are where the concentration is critical – like salting ice for an ice cream churn or creating a solution for a brine.

November 15, 2012 at 9:12 pm |

Aaron

Actually most table salt also has anti-caking agents like calcium silicate or starch, neither of which is in kosher or rock salt. Sea salt can also contain calcium, magnesium and iodide ions, which slightly alter the flavor. But yes, many people pay way too much for exotic salts when table salt will do.

November 15, 2012 at 9:26 pm |

Kummin

What happened to her hair?

November 15, 2012 at 8:27 pm |

ljjm

Too much mac and cheese.

November 16, 2012 at 6:21 am |

Starla S.

*rotflmmfao*

November 17, 2012 at 10:32 am |

Abe

Filthy one percenter mac and cheese.

Noodle, salt, velveeta and milk.

Done and DONE!

November 15, 2012 at 7:44 pm |

tomato_freak

Yes, exactly.

November 15, 2012 at 9:48 pm |

J

Velveeta is note cheese. it's a cheese-like product

November 16, 2012 at 3:55 am |

Hungry_Lad_who_wants_some_MacNCheese

I want Laura Werlin to feed me some Mac N'Cheese

November 15, 2012 at 7:32 pm |

giggity

call it whatever you want but this is not pasta, it looks like a coagulated vomit on a plate. viva l'italia

November 15, 2012 at 6:53 pm |

john

haha, trying to sound sophisticated but you just sound stupid. The Italians invented macaroni and cheese back in about the 13th century!!!!

November 15, 2012 at 7:06 pm |

Peacemeal

I feel sorry for anyone that gets pissed over a recipe for mac n cheese. Get a grip.